


Maryse and Luke have dinner

by CobaltCorvus



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Bonding, F/M, First Dates, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-14
Updated: 2018-04-14
Packaged: 2019-04-22 21:27:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14317488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CobaltCorvus/pseuds/CobaltCorvus
Summary: For the prompt: Lukemaryse. Luke finally getting the guts to follow his own advice and he asks Maryse out; cue awkward blushing but awesome first date; angst cause of derune threat, but all in a a fun date ?





	Maryse and Luke have dinner

 

Maryse’s return to the New York Institute is the sweetest part of a bitter time. Her visit marred with the knowledge that this could be the last time she walks in the doors as a Shadowhunter with her runes, but seeing Alec and how he stands in charge with his found confidence is enough to reassure her that it’s in the best of hands.

The dinner, delivering the news she’s dreaded and carried in her chest as something that would darken her children’s eyes, is nevertheless a beacon of light because of just how much love she sees steeped in the loft and knows Alec is in good hands too. 

It’s a quiet day when Maryse makes her rounds, twisting her stele between her fingers as she thinks and reminisces and misses. The elevator dings and familiar broad shoulders come into view.

“Luke, what brings you here?” Maryse scans him, noting the plastic bag in his hands. 

“Bringing Isabelle some takeout from the Jade Wolf. Apparently she likes our spring rolls the best.” Luke’s smile has a level of warmth that she either has never noticed before or sadly hasn’t appreciated because this time she feels wrapped in it. She almost misses his next few words because of it. “She’s been getting a little deep into her work, so hopefully this will give her a break for a bit.”

She’s struck speechless for a few seconds, looking at this man who she’s known for years and caused so much trouble for and yet he cares for her children so much. She couldn’t count the number of times she’d found out Alec used information for missions that Luke had shared with him and even today they share council both officially and off the record. And now this, Maryse has to shake herself back to the conversation before her silence goes on too long. 

“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever tried the Jade Wolf’s cuisine,” she admits, tucking her stele away.

“Cuisine’s a little fancy of a word, but it does fill you right up. I…” Luke pauses, his dark eyes glancing towards the Ops Center and the muted chatter emanating from it. “Would you want to have dinner there? Tonight?” 

Maryse is nodding before she can realize how much she’s wanted the opportunity and there’s an unbidden smile on her face.

“I’d love that. Is seven a good time?”

“Yeah, that sounds great.” It’s a heartbeat or two but the pair of them share the silence before their surroundings come rushing back in. 

“I’ll see you tonight then, Maryse.” Luke waves with the hand tangled in the bag’s handles and strides off towards Isabelle’s lab, his deep voice still audible even from across the room as he calls out greetings to those he passes. Maryse watches him go with a thrill of anticipation in her stomach. 

That night, she pulls open the Jade Wolf’s door and steps in time to the soft chime that accompanies the movement. The sound of water from the fountain in the corner and the string music waft together into a soothing balm for the nerves that somehow built up inside her. Why she’s suddenly uncertain of everything is a mystery but she doesn’t wait long before Luke gets up from the table he’d been at.

“Maryse! You look…” He chuckles and swipes a hand over his beard before catching himself. “Casual. It’s a new look for sure.”

She glances down at the slim pants and cotton blouse she’d picked, considering how different it really is from the more severe dresses she’d frequented before. Tucking her hair back behind her ear, she shrugs.

“I’m trying to be a new me. To do better.” She clears her throat and changes tack. “So, tell me how this works; I’ve heard it’s an experience.” 

Luke leads her to their booth, settling in opposite her and pulling a paper from the stack at the end. 

“It’s based on the number of orders so you can check a few things to try out and get a taste for what you want more of.” He hands her the stub of a pencil and Maryse leans forward to read the items on the list. 

“There’s so many options, I don’t know where to start.”

“Pick whatever you think sounds good and I’ll pick some I think you’ll like,” Luke says, marking a few of the options Maryse hadn’t considered. She watches his careful motions until she realizes she should make her choices. She ends up settling on the few dishes she recognizes and once the distraction of their order is gone, she’s left only to look at Luke.

“What brought you back to New York?” Luke’s question is everyday and Maryse wants to answer with something just as mundane but she finds herself needing to confide the truth.

“I’m being deruned, so this visit is a bit of a… last reflection before it all happens.” She twists her fingers together, the shape of a stele missing and she finds her eyes can’t meet Luke’s. He’s gone through worse, been faced with derision and mockery and scorn when he left the ranks of the Shadowhunters and became a Downworlder. “I didn’t mean that as a complaint, I know it’s only fair after everything— ”

“Maryse, you don’t deserve this,” Luke interjects, his hand covering both of hers with a gentle strength. They’re warm where she feels cold.

“I believed his lies, I helped Valentine. And all the deaths he caused because of it, I share that blame,” she says after a second.

“I believed him too. I was his parabatai, doesn’t get any closer than that. Do you blame me for those mistakes now?” Luke’s question finally forces Maryse to meet his gaze.

“No, of course not.” 

“People change, Maryse, and so did you.” Luke squeezes her hand in reassurance and while Maryse’s resignation doesn’t dissolve, she desperately wants to believe him. 

Just then, their food arrives and their table is quickly covered with more plates than she’d thought could fit on it. The smell is enough to convince her Luke had made excellent choices and she looks across at him with a small smile. 

“Thank you, Luke.”

“My doors are open anytime if you want to talk, Maryse,” Luke says, gesturing towards the Jade Wolf’s entrance. “And for dinner.” 

Maryse pauses as she takes her first bite, unprepared for the sweet and spicy taste that fills her mouth. Luke catches her wide-eyed look and laughs. 

“I’m taking that as a sign that you like it?” 

“I believe I have been missing out,” she says, tasting another dish with relish. “I’ll most certainly be coming back.” For both the food and for Luke’s company, an unexpected gift she wouldn’t squander. 

The rest of the meal is spent in comfortable silence while they eat and a flurry of smiles as Luke asks for her opinion on each of the dishes and she questions how she could have missed something that had been under her nose the whole time. It’s an ending for her, but also a beginning of something else. 

 

A/N: From a [tumblr prompt](https://squidpro-quo.tumblr.com/post/172933890502/lukemaryse-luke-finally-getting-the-guts-to) I got the other day.


End file.
